Bad Business Intelligence & Marriages Caused by what?
In order for any organisation to run smoothly there must be clear and consistent communication between its departments and team members. A failure to communicate can adversely affect many areas and typically one of those is business intelligence.
This communication breakdown usually occurs at two points: firstly between IT and end users of business intelligence and secondly amongst business intelligence users in terms of identifying the exact needs of the business, which results from a failure to ask the right questions.
In light of the fact that a recent report by Gartner highlighted that up to 80 percent of business intelligence projects fail, it is apparent that these communication issues need to be addressed. “The problem is that CEOs and CIOs approach BI from different directions,” says Patrick Meehan, president and research director of Gartner’s CIO Research Group.
He also explains that typically IT departments see business intelligence as an engineering solution. This is detrimental to the application of business intelligence because in order for business intelligence software to really achieve results, the business needs of the company must come first. In order to understand business intelligence, says Meehan, companies need to understand that they are in the “information and communication business.”
Rather than asking the technical questions that are usually asked of business intelligence by IT, more relevant questions are of a sociological and psychological nature. It’s also important to look at the type of reports that users will need. Is it historical data or in real time? Will users be working alone or is it necessary to collaborate?
The only way that IT can identify business intelligence that provides real solutions is by talking to other colleagues in sales and marketing. Users with expertise in social networks can also offer useful advice. Meehan is confident that until this breakdown in communication is addressed, business intelligence and marriages will continue to fail.
If you would like more information about business intelligence software, contact MXI today.
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